[This reflection by Dennis Ginter was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 16/Nov/2025]
Eating my words is not much fun! I’ve often been heard to say that I don’t want HBC to grow bigger numerically; that it might no longer really be a ‘family’. Well, I needn’t have worried!
I had a heart attack just a few weeks ago – just as Chris and I were getting ready to go to the Friday night prayer meeting. When Lizzie and Brian heard what had happened, they came over to our house immediately, stayed with us while the ambulance team took over, followed us to the hospital, and then stayed with us until about 5 o’clock in the morning! I suppose one could say ‘that’s what real friends do’.
No – there’s more to it. On my first Sunday morning after the incident, one after another of you came over to ask how I was, and assure me that you’d been praying for me. I never felt so loved!
In simpler societies, families are part of a tribe, in which everyone is looked after by the others. Perhaps that’s how I should see our rapidly growing church tribe.
After all didn’t Jesus say that He was building HIS church? By His Spirit, He is seeing to it that we really are “Love in Action”!
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Last Sunday’s reflection: Can Prayer Meetings Be Exciting? by Helen Ruffhead
Contributed by Dennis Ginter; © Dennis Ginter